Gourmet preserved fish

Anyone who has seen a few episodes of The Walking Dead or
flipped through Colson Whitehead's Zone One or Cormac
McCarthy's The Road will tell you that in an apocalypse
situation (zombie-driven or otherwise), top-quality canned and
jarred goods can mean the difference between life and death. And so
it is in an emergency entertaining situation (zombie-driven or
otherwise).

Tinned fish is, of course, an essential standby in any kitchen
(see our page on what to do with preserved
tuna), but it's worth knowing that Italy (along with that past
master, Spain) produces some stuff in tins and jars that's too good
to hide in the cupboard.

Ventresca, the cut of tuna from the belly, is the most prized,
followed closely by the fillets (such as Tre Torri's, above, $36
for 300gm from Enoteca Sileno), but
some producers are branching out. Or, in the case of Moreno
Cedroni, chef of the two-starred La Madonnina del Pescatore, in
Ancona on the Adriatic coast, branching way out. His striking
signature range includes not just tuna belly, but tins of stewed
monkfish tripe and liver, cuttlefish with peas, and octopus with
potato and parsley (all pictured above, $15 for 130gm from Sydney's
Gourmet Life), as well as jarred pasta
sauces "di pesce" such as his 'Matriciana with smoked sturgeon and
an anchovy-based arrabbiata (from $8 for 290gm).